I am so looking forward to this New Year. It’s not like I can’t recommit to goals previously set and start anew at any point in the year, but there is something about the first of the year that helps motivate me. This past year, I’ve grown in my appreciation for all we do on our little homestead, and I’m inspired to do even more in the upcoming year.
A friend of mine recently repainted their home, redid their porch and railings, and planted new plants around their entrance. Their home looks so beautiful and cozy. So that is one of my goals, to spruce up the place a bit and fix things we’ve been neglecting for a while. I see a lot of painting in my future.
I also want to start a section of medicinal plants and herbs in the garden. Hawaii has some wonderful natives I can put in there. We already have some things we’re growing that are medicinal, but I want to add a lot more and create a special area dedicated to just this.
And of course, there’s the “get in shape” and “eat right” goal I set every 2 months. So again, I will start. If I got a penny for every time I “started” a new workout plan, I’d be rich!
So now to what’s happening around the farm …
We have lots of animals on our little farm – a couple of donkeys, sheep, ducks, chickens, a goose, cats, dogs and fish. Unfortunately, we have had issues in the past with our other dogs chasing/hurting chickens. At one time, we had wild dogs killing our sheep. You get attached to all the animals you have, so it’s sad when you lose one whatever the circumstance, but especially sad when it’s one of your own that has caused the loss. This brings us to our newest addition – Bailey. She’s Australian Sheppard, catahoula, and heeler (and maybe other things). In an effort to insure she gets along with the others animals without hurting them, we’ve been feeding her down in the farm with our chickens and ducks. She’s a sweetheart, and has been doing quite well.
One of these things is not like the other
Can you find the puppy in the picture?
Bailey
We have one particularly tame duck that literally eats out of her bowl which means the duck is eating puppy food. It’s a work in progress, but we’re happy they get along.
Yesterday, my husband and daughter painted our new sheep shed. We even added a little art work to the shed, just to make it a little fun. It was the perfect day for painting, hot and dry.
We also picked some rambutan. Last year we got one rambutan, yep just one. This year we got (drum roll) 6!! Rambutan are such a beautiful fruit. They look and taste a lot like a lychee. The name is derived from the Indonesian word “rambut” which means hair, and its name suits it well. It looks kind of pokey, but it’s actually more soft, kind of like a soft brush. It’s native to Southeast Asia, and grows well in our tropical climate. Our tree is still quite young, hence the low production. Optimum production typically occurs around the age of 8 – 10 years old. We still have a few more years until it gets that old, so I’m excited for what is to come. Thailand is the largest producer of rambutan. You have to let the fruit ripen on the tree, if you pick it early it will never get ripe. You know it’s ripe when it turns the red color you see below. It’s all green before that. A serving size of rambutan has about 40% of your daily intake of Vitamin C and 28% of your daily intake of iron. It also has high levels of manganese.
I got two new orchids for my grotto, one pink and one a very pale purple. Also for Christmas I received two really cute pieces of garden art – one a large white wooden chicken and the other a stone garden gnome. I have yet to pick a spot for them, but will take a picture of them when I find their perfect home.
I had family here for Christmas vacation, and was able to take a week off of work. Tomorrow back to the grindstone and the regular routine, plus a few new goals for this year. Here’s to a very peaceful 2018.
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